


That's How It Should Be

by Browneyesparker



Series: That's The Way It Should Be [1]
Category: The Mentalist
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Romance, semi-angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-02-17
Updated: 2013-05-16
Packaged: 2017-11-11 09:04:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,235
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/476872
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Browneyesparker/pseuds/Browneyesparker
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>50 Jane/Lisbon-centric one-shots to quotes from romantic movies. Sorry there isn't a better summary, but there isn't much to say about this. Song title from "Not Like the Movies" by Katy Perry.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Story 1 - Take All the Time Lost

Story 1 – Take All The Time Lost   
A Jane/Lisbon Story  
By Brown Eyes Parker

Author’s Note: This was going to be angsty, but after last night’s episode (and spending an hour crying) I decided to make it semi-angsty with a happy ending. It’s not my best story, because after “War of the Roses”, my writer’s block came back with a vengeance. But I needed to do something, my poor shipper heart couldn’t stand it. (And all the voices from the boys in my past came rushing back too, “you have a great personality, but you’re not that pretty. . .”). Anyways, this was inspired by a line from “The End Of The Affair” with Julianne Moore and Ralph Fiennes. I’ve never seen it, because it’s like mega R, but I thought the line was beautiful and fit Jane/Lisbon perfectly. Title comes from “All This Time” by OneRepublic. 

.

“You see I never stopped loving you, even though I couldn’t see you.”

The End Of The Affair_

“Lisbon! Lisbon is that you?” 

The petite, brunette woman turned around and as emerald green eyes met sea blue; Patrick Jane knew it was indeed the woman that he had let go so many years ago.

“Hey Jane,” she said quietly, pausing so he could catch up with her. “It’s been a while, you’re looking good.”

“Not as good as you,” Jane replied smoothly, grinning at her. “What brings you all the way over to Florida, business or pleasure?”

“Pleasure,” Lisbon answered promptly. “The team chipped in to send me on a vacation as a birthday present this year.”

“Your choice or theirs?” Jane asked.

“Their choice,” she answered, shrugging. “But what does it matter?”

“How about I treat you to lunch, I know a great little place that sells the best soup and sandwiches” he said. “You can catch me up on everything that’s been happening in your life since the last time I saw you.”

“I’d like that,” Lisbon replied, smiling at him genuinely.  
.

“And so, we broke up and he went back to his ex-girlfriend,” Lisbon said as she pushed her leftover chocolate cake around on her plate. “They got married in Napa last month, the ceremony was beautiful.”

“And you were okay with going to their wedding?” Jane asked, taking a sip of his tea.

“Of course I was,” Lisbon replied. “I’m getting used to the fact that every relationship I’m going to be in is doomed for failure, because nobody I date seem to match up to. . . well, never mind. What about you? How have you been?”

“I’ve been doing well,” Jane answered. “I’m doing free-lance consulting, but it’s all I really need. I’m finally free, and I like that feeling.”

“I’m glad you’re happy,” Lisbon said, pushing her dessert away.

“And I’m glad you’re. . . okay,” Jane said.

There was a long bout of awkward silence and then Jane signaled for the waiter to bring the check. 

Lisbon rose and offered him an uncertain smile. “Well, I guess I should be getting back to my hotel now. It looks like rain.”

“You don’t have to do that!” Jane said quickly. “My apartment is right up the street. We could go there and catch up a little bit more, if you’d like. And if it’s still raining when you want to go back to your hotel, then I’ll give you a ride back.”

“Would you like it if I came with you?” She asked uncertainly. 

“I’d like it very much,” he answered sincerely. He leaned forward to push a stray lock of hair away from Lisbon’s face, his hand resting against her cheek for a breath of a moment. “Lisbon, you don’t know how much I’ve missed you.”

“Jane, you don’t know how much I’ve missed you,” Lisbon whispered.

Yes Lisbon, Jane thought as he jerked away like he had been burned, I do know how much you missed me. I know it’s my fault that you missed me, it’s something that I’ve regretted every single day since we parted ways.

“Are you okay?” Lisbon asked.

“I’m fine,” Jane assured her. “Come on, let’s get out of here.”

It had just started to rain by the time they reached his apartment. Jane put a pot of tea on and they spent the rest of the afternoon together filling the empty, silent spaces of their relationship with small talk and old movies on TCM. 

When it got late, Jane decided to throw some dinner together before he took her back to her hotel. It was like, even though they really didn’t have anything to say to each other, he was trying to prolong her from losing her again.  
.

They sat in the hotel parking lot, watching the rain pound on the wind shield, each time one of them started to say something, they stopped before they began. They both knew that the next words out of their mouth could possibly be the inevitable goodbye. And after finding each other after eighteen months of being separated, they both knew they never wanted to hear those words from the other’s lips ever again.

“Lisbon?” Jane finally said.

“Yes Jane?” She asked, stealing a glance at him, her eyes tender under the dim lights of the lamp posts lining the parking lot.

He hesitated, weighing each of his next words carefully. He didn’t want to seem presumptuous, but he wanted to know – needed – to know. He took a deep breath, threw caution to the wind. 

“Did you ever stop loving me. . . after I went away?”

Lisbon sighed. “No. Heaven knows I tried to stop, but you being away, not being able to see you only made my feelings for you grow by leaps and bounds. I love you more than I’ve ever loved you before. I just didn’t realize it until I saw you today.”

“Good. I’m glad.”

“Really?” Lisbon asked. “Because last year, you weren’t so happy to find out that I loved you—”

“It took leaving for me to realize that I loved you too,” Jane told her as he turned to look at her. “And then I was too much of a coward not to come back. I couldn’t face you, not after I had rejected you. Not after everything I had put you through—”

“Shh! Shh!” Lisbon said, putting a finger to his lips and shaking her head. “Let’s not talk about the past. I just want to concentrate on right now, the time we have together tonight—”

Jane’s face fell. “You’re going back to California, I forgot.”

“I have a life there; I just can’t drop everything to move here and be with you. I’d need a darn good reason to do it.”

“Isn’t love enough?” Jane asked.

Lisbon hesitated, chewing her lip thoughtfully. “Why don’t you come back with me? You could get your old job back at the CBI, and we could really be together. We could snuggle on the couch, and watch old movies and steal each other’s books for as long as we both shall live.”  
He had never seen her this desperate, not even the night she had said, I love you. Not even on the muggy afternoon that she had pleaded with him not to kill Red John. And all he wanted to do was say yes. Because nothing had ever sounded sweeter than cuddling, and olds movies, and stealing each other’s books for as long as they both should live.

And he knew, if he said no then Teresa Lisbon would get on an airplane and leave his life once again. This time, it would be forever, because she would know better than to put herself in a situation where she could get hurt for a third time. 

He didn’t want to lose her forever.

Not this time.

Not ever.

This time the only thing he wanted to ever separate them was the inevitableness of death. 

So, he looked into her eyes and said the bravest words that he had ever said since asking Angela Ruskin to be his wife. 

He said yes.  
.

Author’s Note II:

I know the reasons why they separated in the first place were a little subtle, but I hoped it wouldn’t matter. And I know there wasn’t a kiss, but I just couldn’t work it into this story. Plus, I know that nobody really wants to see good guy Jane after last night, but I couldn’t help it. To me, he’s still a good guy.  
Please tell me what you thought of this and if it cheered you up just a little bit. Until the next story!  
Love,  
Holly, 2/17/1012


	2. The Fear Of Losing You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Story 2 – the Fear of Losing You  
> A Jane & Lisbon Story  
> Written by Brown Eyes Parker  
> Summary: Jane’s getting ready to leave the CBI, and Lisbon’s protesting his leaving. But why exactly?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I own NOTHING.

**“I’m scared of walking out of this room and never feeling the rest of my whole life the way I feel when I’m with you.”**

**Dirty Dancing_**

 “You don’t have to go you know,” Lisbon said from where she sat on top of Jane’s desk with her legs crossed and sucking on a watermelon Jolly Rancher that she had found in one of his drawers.

“I know that but I _want_ to go. There’s a difference, you know,” Jane replied. “Besides, it’s not like I’m leaving California, I’m just leaving the CBI. I’ll still meet you for lunch. . . every day if you’d like.”

Lisbon smiled slightly. “You don’t mean that.”

Jane shrugged. “It’s up to you if I mean it or not.”

“I just wish that you’d stay,” she muttered.

Jane grinned and looked up from the cardboard box he was packing his assorted junk in. So, you’re finally admitting my usefulness to the team?”

“I didn’t say that,” Lisbon replied quickly.

“Yes. . . yes you did!”

“You close cases—”

“You really need to come up with a new lie,” Jane interjected.

Lisbon sighed and leaned forward. “It’s not a lie. You close cases. That’s why I want you to stay.”

“You still admitted my usefulness to the team,” Jane replied, his impish grin grew wider. “I worked it out with Wainwright, anytime you think a case is too difficult, I want you to call me.”

“That’s not the same as being here every day.”

“I’ll miss you too,” Jane answered. “But I like I said, I’ll put in an effort to keep in touch with you. Now, how about we take a break and go down the street to the new ice cream parlor? I’m buying.”

“Okay,” Lisbon agreed, allowing him to take her hand and help her off the desk.

**.**

“Aren’t you scared?” Lisbon asked, changing tactics as she took a cherry from the large ice cream sundae she and Jane were sharing.

“Scared of what exactly?” Jane replied.

“Leaving the CBI,” Lisbon answered, dropping the cherry back into the ice cream. “Investigating is the only work that you’ve known for the past decade, what are you going to do now that it’s all done?”

“I think I’ll be able to manage,” Jane said as he handed her a spoon. “Ladies first.”

Lisbon sighed as she took the first bite like he had requested.

“Aren’t you afraid of anything Jane?” She asked around her mouthful of ice cream.

Jane shook his head. “I can’t come up with anything at the moment,” he answered.

Lisbon sighed. “I wish that you’d at least _think_ about staying and not leaving.”

“I have thought about it though,” Jane said, taking a spoonful of their shared treat. “And I know what I’m doing; I wouldn’t be leaving if I wasn’t one hundred percent sure about it.”

Lisbon rested her chin in her hand and observed him. “Fine then, if you’re sure. I just want you to know, that you can always come back. . . if you get bored.”

“I know,” Jane assured her with a smile, leaning back to make his own observations of her. “It’s really bothering you that I’m leaving.”

“Not at all,” Lisbon lied.

“Don’t try and change your tune on me now dear. You’ve been protesting my leaving all day,” Jane said.

“You close cases—”

Jane chuckled. “You already said that today.”

“So, sue me then!” Lisbon snapped. “It’s not my fault I’m worried about the CBI’s reputation.”

“Sure, it’s all about the blessed CBI, and its holy reputation—” Jane began sarcastically.

_“It is!”_ Lisbon said ferociously.

“My dear lady, me thinkest that thou dost protest too loudly,” Jane quipped.

Lisbon took a large bite of ice cream to avoid saying something that she could very well regret later on.

Jane grew serious. “Come on Reese, you know that you can say anything to me. Tell me what’s really bothering you.”

Lisbon shook her head and swallowed. “No.”

“You know that I’m good at figuring things out—”

“Oh well! _Good_ for you!” Lisbon replied mockingly.

This shut Jane up immediately and they finished their ice cream in relative silence, letting the old-fashioned jukebox and the chatter from other patrons fill in the empty gaps between them. They avoided each other’s gazes and chatted about nonsensical things.

When they were finished, Jane paid the bill and walked with Lisbon back to the CBI as they pretended not to care that the other cared. It was a cop-out, but there was no way in a million years that Lisbon could admit her real reasons for not wanting Jane to leave. Not when he had never given any inclination of feeling the same way.

**.**

“I am afraid of something,” Jane confessed as Lisbon helped him put his few boxes in the trunk of his Citroen.

“What are you talking about?” Lisbon asked.

“You asked me earlier if there was something I was afraid of,” Jane said. “And there _is_ something that I’m scared of.”

Lisbon slammed the trunk shut and sat on it as she asked quietly, “What are you afraid of Jane?”

“Losing you,” Jane answered bluntly.

She looked stunned. “But Jane, you’re the one who’s been saying all day that we’re still going to make an effort to see each other—”

“I know,” Jane said. “I’ve said it all day on purpose. Can’t you see it Lisbon? You’re the one who restarted my heart, I can’t lose you because if I do, I might lose the feelings you reawakened in me. And I don’t want to be a dead man again.”

“If you’re leaving because you’re in love with me—”

Jane laughed. “I know the rules don’t apply to me technically. I promise you, leaving is something I _want_ to do. How many times do I have to say it before you’ll believe me Lisbon?”

Lisbon sighed. “But why tell me that you have feelings for me tonight? Now? I mean, you’ve had so many opportunities to do so before.”

Jane shrugged. “Does the timing really matter as long as the things need to be said, get said?”

It was Lisbon’s turn to shrug. “Sometimes it matters.”

Jane smiled. “Do I need to ask you if you feel the same way about me? Or can I safely assume from the way you’ve been begging me to stay all day that you reciprocate my feelings? And if you say the only reason you’ve been protesting my leaving is because I close cases—”

“Oh Jane—”

“Don’t say anything, because I already know the answer.”

“And what makes you such an expert on my heart?” Lisbon demanded.

“You really have to ask?”

“Was I that obvious?” She asked, trying to feel mortified but failing miserably.

“You couldn’t have been anymore obvious unless you had said something to me directly,” Jane answered honestly.

Lisbon laughed as all the stress from the day melted away, leaving her with a shaky feeling of relief. She wasn’t losing Jane completely, he loved her, and he needed her in his life. And she knew now, without a trace of doubt in her heart, that they would put in a huge effort to have a relationship outside of the CBI. And they would succeed, because they hadn’t failed yet.

**_The End_**


	3. Ready To Confess

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Story 3 – Ready to Confess  
> A Jane & Lisbon Story  
> By Brown Eyes Parker  
> Summary: Red John is gone, and it appears that Jane is finally ready to move on. . . but not with Lisbon, or so it seems.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Note: This story was born from my frustration that every women that waltzes on and off the show is Jane’s “match”. I’ve sat through Kristina Frye, Erica Flynn, and Susan Darcy these past four years, and though they do give Jane a run for his money, I can’t buy into the crap that any of those ladies are his perfect match. This story isn’t exactly based on the quote, but it WAS inspired by it. Title kind of, sort of taken from “Put Your Arms Around Me” by Texas (from the end credits of Ever After).  
> Dedicated to: my sister, Hannah, who loves Ever After: A Cinderella Story

**“She is my match in every way. Please tell me that I haven’t lost her.”**

**Ever After: A Cinderella Story_**  
  


Lisbon watched Jane leave with his date and sighed wearily as she started to clean up her desk for the night. She had always known the day would come when Jane would move on from the death of his wife and start to date again. She just had never been prepared for him to want to move on with somebody that wasn’t her. In the years since she had first met Jane, she had foolishly allowed a part of her heart to hope that the day Jane finally could move on, he would look at her and see her as more than his co-worker and close friend.

She had allowed herself to hope that, maybe, she would be the One who finally won his heart when he finally decided to find a new woman to share his life with. After all, hadn’t she been the one who had been there all along? Hadn’t she been the one who had seen the worse side of him and stayed by his side, even though the worst side of him had scared her half-to-death?

Lisbon stole another glance at Jane and the woman by his side. She honestly thought she was going to suffocate. So, she lay her head on the desk, swallowed her tears down, and shot a prayer to Heaven that He would give her the strength that she needed to see her through Jane’s new relationship.

**.**

Jane looked at Lisbon as they drove to a crime scene, in the past few weeks her cute little smiles, her breezy laughter, and her easy comebacks to his good-natured teasing had seemed to disappear. She had replaced them with the same professionalism from their earlier days together. Yes, she was friendly, but the friendliness felt stilted, the deep connection he thought they had shared had all but disappeared.

Her mannerisms towards him had all changed a month earlier, after his first serious date in years. She had tried to look happy for him, but her red-rimmed eyes and puffy cheeks spoke otherwise. She was heartbroken, and it was because of him.

He spent a fair enough time beating himself up about that fact. He knew that she loved him. . . had known it ever since Erica Flynn had made a second appearance in his life, but he had ignored all the signs, keeping her at arm’s length while still  searching for Red John. He promised himself that he’d think about her feelings for him _after_ the serial killer was dead and gone. He couldn’t afford to think about it before then; he couldn’t allow himself to love somebody or be loved by somebody he would most likely lose if he wasn’t careful.

He shook himself from his thoughts and looked at Lisbon again, she looked so worn out. But there was an unwavering strength to her weariness.

It was the same strength that he saw every day, but today the strength was different somehow. He breathed in sharply as realizations hit him like icy cold water on a blistering hot day.

He loved her too.

He had loved her for years.

And he had realized it before, like when she had showed up at the prison after she had killed Red John, the afternoon they had shared an ice cream sundae, the second Erica Flynn had kissed him. Each and every time the feeling had come upon him unexpectedly, and every single time he had made a point to suppress it.

He hadn’t been brave enough to deal with her feelings. So, of course dealing with _his_ would have been an even harder task to face.

But he was ready now. Everything he had been afraid of had disappeared like Dandelion dust on a breezy day the day Red John had been executed. He didn’t know what had taken him so long to see it before.

**.**

“You finally realized you loved her,” Melissa Jones commented as she poured herself another glass of white cranberry juice.

Jane looked startled. “How’d you know?”

“Oh _please_ ,” Melissa scoffed. “A person doesn’t have to be as observant as you are to realize that you were head over heels. She’s the only person that you ever talk about; I’ve always wondered why you agreed to fake date me when you could have been in a real relationship with her the whole time.”

“I thought I owed it to you after all the times I had swindled your father out of his money,” Jane answered, wincing slightly at having to mention his past wrong-doings. “By the way, how are things coming along with Mark?”

“He called me last night,” Melissa answered of her absent boyfriend as she lay her hand on her expanding stomach. “We talked for a long time; we’re going to meet for dinner tomorrow. He told me that he has something important that he wants to discuss with me.”

“See, I told you that my plan was foolproof!” Jane crowed. “No self-respecting man would ever allow another man to raise his child, especially when that man is still deeply in love with the mother of his child.”

Melissa smiled as she bestowed a friendly peck to his cheek. “Thank you Patrick, I could have never done it without you. I’ll call you and tell you how things go tonight, okay?”

“You better,” Jane answered, squeezing the younger woman’s hands gently. “Best of luck Melissa.”

“Best of luck to you too! Don’t forget to call her!” Melissa said in reply as she gathered up her coat and purse.

Jane laughed and made a show of pulling out his cell phone. “I’ll get right on it.”

**.**

“What’s the idea of having meeting you so late?” Lisbon asked as she entered the little dessert bar clad in skinny jeans and an oversized baseball jersey.

“I needed to talk to you,” Jane answered.

Lisbon sighed and fell into the seat across from him, eyeing him wearily. “And it couldn’t wait until tomorrow?”

“No,” Jane replied seriously. “What I need to talk to you about couldn’t wait a moment longer. It’s waited long enough.”

She closed her eyes. “Jane, will you please just spare me? I already know.”

“You do?” Jane asked as a waitress brought them two large slices of cheesecake covered in caramel sauce.

Lisbon nodded and opened her eyes, shooting him a piercing gaze. “You’re in love again.”

“It was sort of inevitable,” Jane said.

“With somebody that you only met a month ago?” Lisbon asked snippily.

“I’ve known her much longer than a month.”

“She’s somebody from your former life then,” Lisbon said, her mouth pulling into a thin line.

“Not really,” Jane answered, suddenly not in the mood to play games with her. “The young woman you saw me with last night was the daughter of an old client. I was merely assisting her with a problem she was having.”

“And what problem did she have that required the two of you to go off together in formal wear?” Lisbon snapped.

Jane sighed, feeling a little bad about betraying Melissa’s confidence even though he knew that she wouldn’t really mind. Especially since the details _were_ a means to an end.

“She found out she was pregnant, and her boyfriend split up with her,” Jane answered slowly. “She was merely using me to make him jealous and get him to come back to her.”

“Oh yeah?” Lisbon asked skeptically. “Did it work?”

“I don’t know yet,” Jane replied. “They’re meeting for dinner tomorrow night.”

“That is the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard!” Lisbon said. “If this woman you were supposedly helping is really a daughter of one of your old clients, then she’s probably really young—”

“She’s not that young!” Jane interjected. “She’s probably in her early thirties. What does that have to do with anything, anyways?”

“If you have to ask, then it isn’t important!” Lisbon said in exasperation.

Jane took her hand and held on tightly so she couldn’t pull away. “But it _is_ important to me. Come on Lisbon, you could always talk to me before, please talk to me again.”

“You were. . . you were. . .” Lisbon faltered, afraid of showing too much. “You moved on. . . you were actually taking her places—”

Jane laughed. “I told you, I was _helping_ her. And even if we were in a serious relationship, it would have _never_ worked out because we couldn’t have ever loved each other. She would have always loved the father of her child. And I-I would have always loved. . . I would have always loved you Lisbon.”

“What did you just say?” She asked breathlessly.

“I would have always loved you,” he repeated, taking her other hand. “I know it’s taken me a while to stop repressing what I’ve known for a while now. Oh Lisbon, I know I’ve been a fool. . . and what’s worse, I’ve been a blind fool. Please tell me that I haven’t lost you because of my stupidity.”

Lisbon laughed as she ran her thumb over his knuckles. “No, no Jane you _never_ lost me. I’ve been here the whole time, heaven forgive me, waiting for something like tonight to happen.”

Before he could stop himself, Jane had leaned across the table and had kissed her. He released her hands and threaded his fingers through her hair, placing his other hand on her cheek. She sighed against his lips, forgetting herself and where they were while she returned his kiss with all the love for him that had been slowly building up over the years.

They pulled away, blushing and completely out of breath. Jane took Lisbon’s hand again and picked up his fork, giving her a wry grin.

“So, cheesecake?” He asked as his world returned back to normal once again.

“I’d love some,” she answered, her smile lighting up her whole face as she tightened _her_ grip on _his_ hand.

**_The End_**


	4. Surrender

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Story 4 - Surrender  
> A Jane & Lisbon Story  
> By Brown Eyes Parker
> 
> Summary: She had already surrendered to him. So, why was he having such a hard time surrendering to her? For the Paint It Red March challenge. Prompt: Surrender.

**Surrender: (Sur.ren.der) [suh­-ren-der]: 3. to give (oneself) up to some influence, course, or emotion**

**“You mean you wish to surrender to me? Very well, I accept.”**

**Princess Bride_**

 

She was close enough to him that he could smell the sweet scent of her cinnamon perfume, the watermelon gum that she kept popping large bubbles with, and the Coca-Cola Chap Stick she was wearing on her lips. She was close enough that he could almost feel the warmth radiating from her body; he could almost read the words from the book she was reading.

 

It was the moments like these, when she was stretched out beside him with her bare feet swinging in the air, that he entertained thoughts of completely surrendering to his feelings her. He knew she had already accepted the fact that she loved him. So, giving into his feelings for her should have been an easy feat. He didn’t have anything to lose; her heart already belonged to him.

 

But then again, he had had everything to lose. Allowing himself to love Lisbon, especially with Red John still around, was akin to signing her death sentence. It was almost like signing his own death sentence, because he didn’t think that he’d survive if he lost somebody else that he had allowed himself to care for so deeply.

 

Lisbon snuggled a little closer absent-mindedly, his pulse started to race, and his breathing grew shallow. She sighed contentedly as she got more comfortable against his side, and his list of cons went flying out the window.

 

If he didn’t think about it, then surrendering would be easy.

It was almost as if she had read his thoughts, she put her book down and smiled up at him.

 

Jane opened his mouth, ready to launch into a wordy monologue about realizing certain things, and how he was ready to give himself to her in every way he possibly could. But the look on her face said that he didn’t need to say anything, she already knew exactly what he was thinking.

 

So, he put his arms around her, held her a little closer, brushed his lips against her hair and he did something that was a long time in the making. He surrendered.

 

He simply surrendered.

 

**_The End_**


	5. 1+1 = 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Story 5 – 1+1 = 3  
> A Jane & Lisbon Story  
> By Brown Eyes Parker  
> Author’s Note: I have to give some credit to Just Mosie, for helping me flesh out certain parts of this story, I couldn’t have done it without her help. A couple more things, this story takes place exactly nine months after “Something Rotten in Redmund”, so there will be slight spoilers for that episode, and then there are tiny spoilers for season 5. So, read at your own risk. Lastly, the title was taken from a scene from the Fox show, “Touch”.  
> Dedicated to: My sister, Katherine. . . who laughed and cried with me when we watched “Fools Rush In” a couple of weeks ago  
> &   
> xJadeWEAPONx, you know why I’m dedicating this to you darling!

**“You are what I never knew I always wanted.”**

**Fools Rush In_**

“I’m here!” Jane said rushing into the waiting room. “Has the baby come yet? How’s Lisbon doing?”

“The baby hasn’t come yet, and she’s asking for you,” Rigsby replied.

“ _Me?_ ”Jane repeated. “Lisbon’s asking for _me_?”

“Yeah,” Cho replied, looking at him evenly. “Why wouldn’t she want you there? You went with her to all the birthing classes, didn’t you?”

“Er, yes.”

“That makes you her birth coach,” Rigsby said.

Jane was about to reply when a nurse came out and touched him on the shoulder. “Are _you_ Patrick Jane?” she asked.

“Yes. . .”

“Finally! Come with me, Agent Lisbon has been waiting for you.”

“Literally?” Jane asked.

“Of course not,” the nurse replied as she led him into the delivery rooms. “I mean, let’s be realistic, if the baby’s going to come, then she’s going to come. It doesn’t matter if you’re here or not.”

“There you are!” Lisbon exclaimed as he came into her room. “I was beginning to think that you wouldn’t show up!”

“Traffic was a nightmare, Jane said apologetically. “But I’m here now. How far apart are your contractions?”

Lisbon shrugged. “They’re not too bad yet.”

“Teresa Lisbon, you are not like other woman!” Jane said in admiration.

“It’s just childbirth,” she replied. “Please Jane, I’ve been through worse situations than this.”

“You won’t be saying that in a couple of hours,” the nurse said as she adjusted the IV that was snaking into Lisbon’s hand.

She rolled her eyes at Jane. “If I scream _once_ or call you bad names, you have my permission to Gibbs-slap me.”

“Yes Boss,” Jane said solemnly as he pulled up a chair. So? Are you going to tell me who the father is?”

“Nope,” Lisbon replied, reaching for her cup of ice chips, she fished one out and chewed it, buying herself sometime. She shook her head. “It doesn’t matter anyways, he won’t want to be involved. He’s a little—”

“Self-absorbed?” he finished for her.

“Bruised,” she answered, swallowing another ice chip.

“Mmh. . .”

“Don’t worry about me,” Lisbon said quietly. “There are dozens of single mothers out there, most of them younger than me.”

“But—”

“No Jane, don’t say anything. I know what you want to say, and the sentiment is sweet. . . but I don’t want to hear it. What happened, happened. Nothing neither of us can do to change that.”

Jane studied her quietly, wanting to push the subject further, but knowing that she wouldn’t talk about it. . . no matter how much he forced her to.

Lisbon fiddled with her hospital bracelet. “Um. . .  my ice chips are melting. Could you run and get me some more please?”

“As you wish,” Jane replied compliantly. “You just sit still and I’ll be right back.”

**.**

Lisbon bit back a scream as the pains of labor rippled across her abdomen.

“Jane!” She called him over.

“Yes Lisbon?”

As another wave of pain went through her, she closed her eyes and grit her teeth together. “Remember _not_ to let me scream.”

Jane nodded, remembering what Lisbon wanted him to do if she screamed. In all honesty, he didn’t want to have to hit her upside the head, but he also knew that she was serious about it.

Lisbon gripped the blanket tightly to keep from vocalizing how much pain that she was in. She whimpered quietly as she tightly grasped her swollen stomach with her other hand.

“Lisbon,” Jane said, fully in tune with her pain now. “Look at me, Teresa.”

She turned to him wearily, and when he was sure that he had her full attention, he led her through the breathing classes that they learned in Lamaze classes.

Twenty hours of hard labor later, the nurse was handing Lisbon her baby daughter.

Jane looked down at the little bundle in Lisbon’s arms, ready to congratulate her on her beautiful child when he noticed something _very_ familiar about her. Something that wasn’t Lisbon, but very much him.

His pulse quickened as he looked up at Lisbon, who was studying him with a worried expression in her already tired eyes. He swallowed hard and forced himself to take a breath before muttering something inaudible to her and bolting from the room.

Lisbon’s heart sank, she knew that her well-concealed secret was finally out in the open. She sighed, wonder what in her baby’s face had tipped him off to her whole parentage.

**.**

_I’m a father_ , he thought again and again as he started to make the long drive to his home in Malibu. _I’m a father again!_

He wanted to be furious with Lisbon, after keeping it a secret for nine months; she had just delivered his baby. But as hard as he tried to, he couldn’t muster up an ounce of anger towards the petite brunette. She probably had had her reasons for _not_ telling him that he was going to be a father.  

Driving all the way to Malibu, just so he could wallow in self-pity, suddenly seemed like a bad idea. So, he turned around and made his way back to the hospital to see Lisbon again.

“You came back!” She said as he came into her room, her face brightening slightly. “How are you?”

“Good,” Jane answered quietly, looking at her like he was only seeing her for the first time.

 _She had had_ his _baby!_ For some reason, this made her even more beautiful to him.

“How’d you know?” Lisbon asked, breaking into his thoughts.

“How did I know what?” Jane replied.

“That she was yours too,” she clarified.

“Oh. . . there was a birthmark on her left shoulder,” he said. “I have one in the exact same spot.”

“Oh.” There was a long pause, and then she cleared her throat. “Listen. . . Patrick, I’m sorry that I didn’t tell you the baby was yours. It’s just things were so complicated nine months ago—”

“You don’t have to tell me anything!” Jane interjected.

“I need to though. . .  I should have told you nine months ago.”

Jane nodded, slightly and came further into the room to take a seat on the edge of her bed.

“It happened the night that Benjamin was born.”

Jane nodded again, remembering that she had gone to his hotel room later in the evening. Her comforting touches and words had escalated into more too quickly. Neither of them had meant for it to happen, after it was over, she had left him without saying a word. Up until today, he had regretted what had happened between them.

“I’m sorry,” he said softly. “It was my fault, I shouldn’t have kissed you—”

“No! I’m just as much to blame as you are. I could have told you to stop,” Lisbon replied.

“Why didn’t you tell me that _I_ had gotten you pregnant?” Jane asked, suddenly needing to know the reason for the secrecy.

“I was going to!” Lisbon answered. “But things got so crazy, and then you started to see Lorelei. . . I thought you were happy. And I wanted so badly for you to be happy.  So, I decided to not interfere with your life, and just keep it to myself.”

“But I had the right to know!” Jane insisted. “A part of me was growing inside of you!”

“If I had told you, then you would have ended things with Lorelei so you could do the right thing by me! In the end, you would have just resented me!” Lisbon argued back.

“No!” Jane burst out. “I _wouldn’t_ have!”

“How do you know? You aren’t psychic! You can’t that you wouldn’t resent me or Olivia!”

“I _DO_ know that I wouldn’t have resented!” Jane maintained. “Because I. . . I-I- _I LOVE YOU_!”

Lisbon faltered. “Wh-what did you just say!?”

“I love you,” Jane repeated.

“No, no you don’t. . .”

He knew why she was protesting the statement, why she was having trouble believing it. Up until the words had left his mouth, he hadn’t even known that he loved her.

“I do,” he whispered, taking her hand and rubbing a gentle circle around the IV running through her vein. “I didn’t know it until now, but I _do_ love you.”

Lisbon’s bottom lip quivered and she cursed her hormones. But she _had_ been hoping for the last nine months that Jane would suddenly wake up and say these things to her. And now that it had happened, she could scarcely believe it. She took a deep, shuddery breath and gave him a watery smile.

“I love you too.”

“Another thing is. . .” he stopped suddenly. “Wait! Did you say that you love me too?”

“Yes,” she whispered shyly. “I’ve loved you for a long time now, I just didn’t know how to tell—”

Jane didn’t let her finish, he leaned over and kissed her square on the mouth. She responded immediately, awkwardly wrapping her arms around his neck and pouring ten years of pent up emotion into it.

“I love you,” she said again, barely moving her lips from his.

“Yeah, I love you too,” Jane replied, kissing her again before taking her in his arms and lying down with her, holding onto her tightly. “Now, what did you name our daughter?”

Lisbon smiled, loving the way _our_ sounded coming from his lips.

**_The End_**


End file.
